


The Walls Won’t Keep Me From You, But They Might Tear Us Apart Too

by ShootBackHolyWater



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-28 18:11:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19817758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShootBackHolyWater/pseuds/ShootBackHolyWater
Summary: Commander Erwin's younger sister Rayne Smith and the cold, brash and dangerous former criminal Levi Ackerman fell in love hard and fast.But a serious injury on the battlefield causes Levi to walk away from the woman he loves more than anything in the world.It turns out that the Titans might not be the only things that could end up tearing the two of them apart for good.





	1. Chapter 1

A knock on the front door of her quarters shook Rayne Smith out of her trance as she watched some of the new Scout recruits running drills in the yard outside her window. She quickly checked her reflection in the small mirror on her wall, smoothing down her hair a little.

"Come in!" She yelled, not even turning to greet Levi as he let himself in. "You're late."

"Good evening to you, too." He grumbled in response. He removed his shoes before sitting down at her small dining table. "I'm late because some of us had to work today. And as you know, my line of work can be a little...messy."

"So you're late because you had to shower seven times after slicing through a Titan's nape?" Rayne asked cooly, turning away from the window to lean against the wall. She raised her eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest. "Bullshit, Ackerman, you were cleaning, weren't you?"

"The new cadets are spectacularly shitty at cleaning," he shrugged, and she rolled her eyes, strolling across the room and pouring water into the clear tea cups she had laid out for them. He scrunched his nose as he inspected the cup. "Do you not wash your cups when you've used them?"

"It's a fucking waterspot, Levi, don't be such a baby." Rolling her eyes at her germophobe ex-boyfriend, Rayne reached over and wiped at said waterspot with a cloth, making the mark disappear. She sat down opposite him, staring him down. "Now drink, and don't bitch for once in your life."

"Aren't you pleasant this evening?"

"Learned from the best." She smirked, raising her cup to her lips. He let out a huff of a laugh, his gray eyes flicking up to her blue ones.

"You look...pretty."

"I've already made the tea, Levi, you don't have to flatter me to convince me not to poison it."

"Fuck you, I'm being nice." He grumbled, gently kicking her under the table. His face immediately changed from anger to concern. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

Rayne rolled her eyes.

"Tch, just shut up and drink your damn tea will you? I'm fine, I'm not a fucking porcelain doll." She swirled the contents of her cup around nervously. "That's actually what I invited you over for, to talk about something." Levi said nothing, but continued drinking and watching her. "I, um..."

"Spit it out, Rayne." He said sternly, his tone of voice sending a pleasant shiver through her. Always so dominant...

"I've been medically cleared. I'm rejoining the scouts."

"Pfft, no, you're not."

"Y-yes I am! Hange gave me my final physical today and she said-"

"Why the fuck would you listen to shitty glasses?! Christ, the woman is batshit crazy!" Levi was mad now, Rayne had seen that look before. His fist closed around his cup, gripping it so tightly his knuckles were turning white. For a moment, Rayne was convinced he was going to break the cup.

"Her name is Hange, Levi, why do you have to be such an asshole to her? She's my best friend, and I trust her, everyone does!" Rayne shot back, not faltering under the Captain's steely gaze.

"Because she's a goddamn psycho and a pain in my fucking ass," Levi growled, his voice dangerous and low. "Just because she says your leg isn't fucked up anymore, you're gonna risk your fucking life again?!" Levi stood up, sending the chair he was sitting on crashing to the ground. "Fucking Erwin is going to hear about this, there's no way he's going to-"

"Erwin agreed with her." Rayne spoke calmly, the mention of her older brother, Levi’s friend and Commander of the Scouts making Levi freeze and glare at her "He and the other higher ups, they all agree that I'm recovered enough to come back."

"Fucking asshole, why wasn't I informed?!"

"Because of how you're reacting now!" Rayne glared at the raven haired man from her chair. "Levi, I'm more than capable of thinking for myself. And believe it or not, my brother knows me pretty damn well, he wouldn’t have cleared me if he didn’t believe I was more than ready-“

"More than ready?! This isn’t something you can just dust off and forget about! You were kicked across the goddamn forest and got your leg crushed by a Titan! You were nearly torn limb from fucking limb!"

"Yes, funnily enough I do remember that!" she yelled, glaring at him. "I've had to go through two fucking years of pain, and physical therapy, and every other bullshit route to recovery just so I'm able to stand by myself! Of all people, you know how important the Scouts is to me, why I've pushed myself to get back to where I was! I thought you would understand!"

"Why the hell would I understand why you want to go through all this shit just to prove a goddamn point? Do you fucking hear yourself?!"

"It's my decision, Levi," Rayne said quietly and calmly. "I'm coming back."

"Then you're a fucking idiot with a suicide wish." He spat, grabbing his jacket and storming out, making sure to slam the door behind him. Rayne jumped at the sudden harsh sound, blinking back the hot tears that were forming in her eyes. She sighed heavily, standing up and gathering the cups from the small table, pouring away the remains and leaving them on the side. She would deal with them tomorrow.

The next morning, Rayne was up bright and early, eager to get back into a routine she had been missing for two years. She felt a strong sense of pride rush through her as she dressed in her old Scouts uniform. She fastened her cloak to protect her against the early morning chill as she made her way through the freezing stone hallways to Erwin’s office. She raised a hand to knock, when the door swung open and she was greeted with a smug looking Levi and a disgruntled looking Erwin. Out of respect, she saluted the taller of the two.

"Commander Smith." She greeted her sibling, who nodded and signalled for her to be at ease, rolling his eyes at her official greeting. Despite telling her thousands of times, she still wouldn’t drop it.

Rayne shot him a smile, then glared at the shorter man, who still stood a few inches above her. "Captain Levi." She said, with as much snark as she could muster.

"Squad leader Smith," he retorted, and she had never wanted to punch him in his handsome face as much as she did right then. "Shall I break the news to her, or do you want the honours, Erwin?"

"What news?" Rayne looked between the two males. "Erwin? What's he talking about?"

Erwin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Rayne, Levi has come to me expressing some...concerns about your returning to the Scouts."

"I bet he fucking did," she growled under her breath, glaring at the still smug looking man.

"Personal feelings aside, Levi believes we should...test the waters, so say, before sending you out on a real mission." Erwin sounded apologetic as he spoke. "Therefore, I believe it's in your best interests to undergo some...refresher training. With Levi supervising, of course."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Rayne gaped at her brother . "Erwin, you can't be serious! I'm more than ready, you can't send me to train with the fucking rookies!"

"Watch your mouth when speaking to your commander, Smith." God, Levi was such a smarmy prick. She could strangle him with that stupid cravat.

“He’s my brother, Levi, I’ll talk to him however I damn well please.” She growled, her fists clenching at her side.

"Maybe we ought to send her back to rookie training, Erwin, she clearly needs to learn some manners."

"Levi, cut the crap, you're just provoking her." Erwin muttered, as Rayne practically foamed at the mouth from rage. "Rayne, you won't be training with the new recruits, instead you'll be put through a series of obstacle courses and challenges, just to bring you back up to speed with everything, and to ensure you are 100% recovered. You were amongst the top of your class after all, we wouldn't want your injury to have impacted one of our best soldiers and beloved Squad Leader."

"You know it hasn't," she growled at her life long friend, who, despite towering a least a good foot over her, seemed uneasy under her icy glare. "Erwin, come on-"

"I'm sorry Rayne, but it's been decided. I can't risk sending you out on the field to lose you straight away. Just...do this for me, please?" Erwin stepped forward and placed a large hand on Rayne's shoulder. He lowered his voice before speaking again. "Besides, I think Levi is worried about you, but he's being his usual self and not admitting it."

"Pfft, right." She scoffed softly, before stepping back a little and saluting the commander. "Yes, sir."

"Thank you, Rayne. Levi, she's all yours."

"She was." Rayne muttered under her breath as Erwin walked away. "Well, Captain, are you happy? You got your way as per usual, sir."

Levi narrowed his eyes.

"Watch your tone, Smith. Just remember who's in charge here."

"And just remember I know exactly how big your dick is, Captain, so you don't need to start waving it around to assert your dominance." She bit back, a smug smirk on her face to mirror the one he was wearing earlier. Levi chuckled.

"Then you'll know that it's big enough that I don't really need to compensate for anything." he retorted, and Rayne bit her lip. The look he was giving her, and that voice...he was still so annoyingly attractive. But there was no way she was going to let him have the last word.

"Except maybe your height."

Levi's expression changed from one of mild amusement, to pure rage.

"Guess who's running laps until sundown now, brat?"


	2. Chapter Two - I Was Just A Little... Mangled

Chapter Two - I Was Just A Little... Mangled

"And you’re sure it’s not hurting?” Hange raised an eyebrow as she poked and prodded at Rayne’s previously injured, and now very sweaty, leg. The younger Smith sibling had reported to the medical wing shortly after she had finished Levi’s horrific excuse for ‘training’, which had absolutely included running more laps in the training grounds than she could ever possibly count.

“Hange, my entire body hurts right now,” Rayne snapped through her heavy breathing. “I’m going to kill that shortass-“

“You are aware that you’re smaller than Levi, right?” Hange smirked as she let go of Rayne’s leg and scribbled some stuff down on her clipboard. “Considering your brother is one of the biggest men I have ever seen, and you’re shorter than short stack, it’s pretty funny.”

“I’m glad you find it so hilarious,” Rayne grumbled, pulling down her pant leg and relacing her boot. “He’s really testing my patience, Han, tomorrow I have to retake the stupid ODM tests with the rookies.”

Hange looked at her best friend, with a look that was unreadable. “What, you agree with Levi?”

“Not Levi, specifically, but Erwin...he’s concerned about you. You had a pretty serious accident-“

“-that’s the risk that comes with the job!” Rayne sighed, growing more and more frustrated. “I knew all the risks when I joined the scouts, and I’ve never let that impact how I do my job. I’m not a child; I wish everyone would stop treating me like some snot nosed brat!”

Hange said nothing, turning around to arrange her medical notes and covering her slight smirk. Rayne and Levi were practically made for each other, and it annoyed the crap out of Hange that neither of them could stop being so damn stubborn and get their shit together. “Sorry, Han...I...I know that everyone is worried about me, and I appreciate it, but I’m ready to get back out over the walls.” Rayne said in a small voice, and when Hange turned around, she was surprised to see her looking...sad? "This is the only thing I've ever felt like I was born to do... You don't know how hard it was to sit back and watch my friends risk their lives over the last two years, just knowing that if I hadn't have lost control, if I hadn't have-"

“Hey...” Hange spoke softly, sitting down on the medical bed next to Rayne. "you risked your life trying to save a rookie. If it wasn't for you, that poor kid would have been eaten alive. You did your job, everyone knows that and nobody thinks any less of you. Christ, in the barracks you're a goddamn hero for what you did..." 

"Levi did. Levi told me I was reckless, and stupid. He blames me, he's still angry at me."

"Because he thought he was going to lose you." Hange placed a hand on her best friend's shoulder.

"Well, that happened anyway, didn't it? Before that mission we were... And then he..."

"I know."

Silence fell over the two girls. Rayne sighed.

"I'm sorry, Hange."

The taller woman waved off the apology. "Don't be. I know you're ready to fight again, Rayne, I know...I think even Eren and Levi know that too but...you scared the hell out of us before, we don’t wanna get that close to losing you again. So just...do the ODM tests, you know you’ll pass, and then you’ll be able to show everyone just how ready you are, okay?”

Rayne sighed, nodding. “Good, now get out of here. You need your sleep. I need you at full, optimal health tomorrow, because once you’ve passed the ODM tests, you’re getting your squad back!”

“What?!” Rayne grinned, practically jumping off the bed. “You’re serious?!”

“Well, I definitely didn’t overhear a private conversation between your brother and your old squad earlier...” Hange winked. “So who knows?”

“Hange, you are incredible.”

***

“Smith, Rayne!” Shadis barked, causing Rayne to cringe as whispers amongst the training cadets around her broke out.

“Rayne Smith?! Isn’t she Commander Erwin’s sister?!”

“I heard she got torn apart by a Titan saving some new recruit, they did a pretty good job putting her back together!”

“Why is she training again?! Surely the sister of the commander can just skip all this?!”

Rayne kept her eyes on the ground as she approached the ODM training frame.

“Squad Leader Smith,” Shadis nodded in respect to her as she began to loosen the buckles. “It’s good to see you on your feet again, I knew it wouldn’t be the last we saw of you.”

“Thank you, Commander,” Rayne replied, shooting the previous leader a small smile. She fastened the ODM belt around her waist, allowing her feet to leave the ground.

As she balanced in the air, remaining perfectly upright, she glanced over to the back of the cadets in training, spotting a certain towering blonde and shorter, more stoic and raven haired accomplice watching her intently.

Gray eyes locked on her blue ones. Levi’s steel gaze sent a shiver through Rayne’s entire body, and she was forced to tear her eyes away as her body wobbled in the harness. Thankfully, the test supervisors nor Shadis noticed, and she regained her composure, remaining upright and making it look effortless.

“It’s like you never left, Squad Leader.” The test supervisor nodded with a kind smile.

"Technically, I never did, I was just a little... Mangled," Rayne shrugged as she was lowered to the ground. The supervisor chuckled, scribbling on his clipboard. 

“Congratulations, you’re ready to get back out there.”


	3. Chapter Three - Underground Thugs

_Four years earlier_

Rayne tightened her harnesses before reaching for fresh blades. A call had been put into the Scouts from the Military Police; three unidentifiable people using ODM gear to wreak havoc throughout The Underground, and Commander Shadis had ordered the Captain Erwin and the Special Ops Squad to go and deal with it.

Technically, it was Rayne’s day off, but come on. People who (presumably) weren’t military trained using (presumably) stolen military gear to such a high level of expertise that even the MP’s couldn’t deal with it?! This she had to see.

After a short journey on horseback, the squad assembled at the entrance to The Underground, awaiting their Captain’s instructions as he coerced with the disgruntled looking MP’s. A few minutes later, Erwin strolled back over to the squad.

“Three perpetrators, two male, one female. All extremely skilled in the use of ODM gear. Apparently they’ve been causing trouble down here for a while now. Theft, disturbances, the usual petty crimes.”

“And you’re telling me the Military Police need back up for a trio of petty criminals?” Rayne raised an eyebrow as she fastened her cloak. Erwin cast his younger sister a look, before ignoring her comment.

“We’re under strict instructions from Commander Shadis; place these criminals under arrest and hand them over-“

“Erwin, come on, you cannot be telling me that you’re okay with us doing the legwork and then the MP’s taking credit for it?!”

Erwin sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He loved his sister more than anything else in the world, but she could really test his patience sometimes.

“Let’s just get this over with. "

~

"Let me go, you bastard!" the redheaded girl put up a struggle against Rayne's strong grip, but she didn't let up. "Damn it all!" 

"Trust me, it's easier if you don't struggle," Rayne hissed, yanking the girl back into place. "We've got you surrounded, so don't even think of trying anything."

Rayne and her fellow Scout, who was currently holding one of the two males captive, rounded a corner to see Erwin locked in combat with the other male.

"Levi!" the taller blonde yelled out when he noticed Erin's blade to the throat of the black haired criminal. This 'Levi' proceeded to drop the knife he was holding and give up the fight, allowing all three criminals to be put in handcuffs and brought to their knees in front of Erwin. 

Rayne stood behind the red haired girl, watching as Erwin attempted to interrogate the three criminals, to no avail. Eventually, he gave them the choice: join the Scouts and all their crimes be erased, or be handed over to the Military Police. Rayne looked at her brother as if he had gone insane. 

"Erwin, you can't be serious!?" she couldn't bite her tongue. Usually she agreed with her sensible brother, that's why he was a squad leader after all. He was intelligent and respected, and he made every decision with the Scouts' best intentions in mind. But not this time. Rayne couldn't agree with him. 

"Rayne," Ian hissed from his poisiton behind the dirty blonde criminal on the ground. "Don't." 

Erwin glanced at his sister. 

"Team Leader Smith, you have something you wish to say?" 

The formal title made Rayne glare at her brother. 

"Yes, I do, Squad Leader," she hisses with as much sarcasm as she could muster." You really think letting a trio of petty criminals just stroll into the Survey Corps is going to go down well? There are soldiers who have worked their whole lives for the opportunity, and you're just giving the honour away to these petty thieves who have no idea about what being a scout entails?!"

The black haired one, Levi, who had remained silent and stoic, staring at the ground in front of him, turned his head slightly to glare. 

"Yes, I am." Erwin said shortly, leaving Rayne shocked and speechless. She glared at him, huffing. The trio eventually agreed to join, albeit hesitantly, and they were taken back to HQ under the watchful eye of the rest of Erwin's squad. 

"Erwin, you've just made a huge mistake. You'll regret it." Rayne muttered to her brother, before following her comrades back to base. 

"We'll see." He responded, fastening his cloak before heading up the Steps to report back to Commander Shadis. 

~ the following week ~

"He's staring at you again."

"Hanji, shut up."

"But seriously, he's been staring at you for like ten minutes now, surely his food is cold?"

"But seriously, shut up."

"Oh my god, you two would make the cutest babies-"

"I swear to god, I will choke you."

"Ooh, kinky. Should I tell Levi you're into th-OW! Jeez, I'm just kidding, you don't have to physically attack me..."

Rayne smirked at her best friend opposite the dining table in the mess hall. The two squad leaders had been placed on babysitting duty over the new cadets, and it was proving rather boring. "I warned you."

"Yeah, that you'd choke me, not attempt to shatter my ankle," Hanji sulked, rubbing her ankle underneath the table  
"Hey... Aren't you supervising Levi's training tomorrow?" Hanji's eyes suddenly lit up behind her glasses. Petra, one of the girls' close friends and fellow cadet/Survey Corps member, squealed excitedly. 

"No way! All alone in the forest together, how romantic!"

"I'm going to pretend you guys really aren't as stupid as you sound right now. My squad and I are supervising, and I'm taking some of the new recruits with me. Sorry to burst your disgusting romantic bubbles there, ladies. He and his underground buddies are just more inexperienced rookies to me."

"You do know he's the same age as us, right? You can't treat him like a 15 year old kid!" Hanji frowned, gesticulating widely.

"Watch me." Rayne said, turning on her heel and leaving the dining hall, making her way to her quarters. As she navigated the long corridors of the Scouts HQ, she thought about what Hanji and Petra had said. Was he really watching her as much as they said? Or were they just trying to get under her skin? Rayne hadn't had a boyfriend in over two years. Sure, she'd had causal flings here and there; living in close quarters with members of the opposite sex, it was bound to happen, but nothing serious ever came of it. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice the figure heading towards her, also not paying attention. The two collided with a force that sent Rayne flying backwards onto the hard stone floor, landing on her butt. She hissed in pain, quickly jumping to her feet and growling with she realised whom she had collided with. "Jesus, Ackerman! Watch where you're going, goddamn it!"

"Maybe you should watch where you're going," he snarled back, and she felt a twinge of embarrassment when she realised he hadn't been at all phased by their collision. His two friends, the ones who seemingly never left his goddamn side, were watching the exchange with curious eyes. 

"Learn some fucking respect, street rat."

"I will when people earn it." 

Blue eyes locked with intense gray, and for a moment, they shared a stare filled with something neither one of them could describe, nor would they want to even try. 

"Come on Levi-bro, let's get out of here," the red headed girl tugged on Levi's arm. The girl, Isabel, actually got on decently with Rayne, and she didn't mind her too much. 

"Yeah, we haven't got time to waste," muttered the blonde guy, (Furlan was it?) who came to Levi's other side. What did that mean...? 

Rayne growled under her breath, barging past all three of them and continuing on to her quarters.

When she had closed and bolted her door, she meant her back against it and she let out an exasperated sigh, her head falling backwards onto the solid wood. heading into the bunk area. That asshole. Who the fuck did he think he was?! If she hadn't have trusted stupid Erwin and his judgement so much, she would have left Levi and his pals in the mud where they'd cornered them that day. As much as she despised him and his appalling manners and attitude, she couldn't deny that he truly was skilled with the ODM gear, in fact all three of them were, and his instincts were sharp. They would all be an asset to the Scouts when fully trained, there was no doubt.

But, God, she fucking disliked Levi with a passion.

Rayne poured herself some tea and began to get ready for bed. She showered, changed, drank her tea and then settled down into bed and allowed herself to relax. Sleep did not come, however, as intense grey eyes and a harsh voice danced around in her head, despite her willing herself not to think of the insufferable man sleeping down the corridor from her.

As much as Levi Ackerman pissed her off, she couldn't deny that he was handsome. Although height was not on his side (though he was still taller than Rayne), he was lean, yet muscular. Whilst she'd never admit it out loud, she had often caught herself wondering if he had a six pack, or the chiselled V-line leading into his pants, and then she'd quickly scold herself for thinking of what he'd look like shirtless. His raven hair looked luxuriously soft, paired with the buzzed undercut, and she had also thought about what it would feel like between her fingers. His eyes were steely and intense, and although his face rarely showed any sort of emotion, his eyes were a different story. And his voice...god, it was so deep, so smooth...even when he was being a complete twat to her, it gave her goosebumps.

You like him. You really like him.

"No, I don't." She muttered to herself, rolling onto her front and placing her pillow over her head, as if to try and block out the thoughts. "Fucking asshole."

Rayne must have fallen asleep at some point, as the next thing she knew, she was awakened by a banging at her door, and the shrill voice of her best friend.

"Rise and shine, little one! You're gonna be late for breakfast!!"

"Ugh, just come in already, don't stand out there screaming like a mad woman!" Rayne yelled, jumping out of bed and unlocking the door, before bolting into the bathroom. Less than five minutes later, she emerged, dressed and ready for the day. She sighed as she spotted Hanji sitting cross legged on her bed. She cleared her throat, folding her arms across her chest. Hanji turned her head in Rayne's direction and grinned.

"Man, you look like shit, didn't you get enough sleep last night or something?"

"Or something," Rayne grumbled, gathering her cloak from its position in her wardrobe. "Good morning to you, too."

"Up too late thinking about Levi, huh?"

"You know, one of these days, I'm gonna feed you to a Titan."

"Ooh! Think how exciting that would be! I'd love to get an inside look as to how they work! It'd be so-"

"Han, shut up."

The two women made their way back to the mess hall, where they quickly ate and then left, starting their duties for the day. Rayne and her squad, accompanied by several nervous looking rookies, and a bored looking trio of Levi, Isabel and Furlan, headed out to the training forest as per Commander Shadis' orders, so the new recruits could be trained in Titan slaying and proper ODM gear control.

Various challenges were given to the newbies, including a time trial on ODM gear, and a course to see how many Titan training dummies they could 'kill' within a given time.

Rayne sighed, rubbing her temples as the inexperienced and nervous rookies fumbled over their gear, their blades, their capes...everything.

"Get yourself together, cadet!" She had yelled to a particularly clumsy kid as she somehow managed to get herself tangled in her cloak whilst replacing her blades. "Or you'll be Titan chow as soon as you step outside of those walls!"

"Yes, sir-uh, I mean, ma'am, I mean-"

"If I were you, Cadet Cole, I would spend less time on formalities and more time concentrating on not dying!!" Rayne glared at the trembling young girl. "Thomas" she glanced at her squad member and trusted friend beside her. "Take this one back to HQ, I have no place on my squad for someone who can't even wipe their own ass without assistance."

"Yes, Team Leader." The tall man nodded, before escorting the cadet away.

"And let that be a lesson to all of you who don't give me 100%!" Rayne turned her attention back to the remaining cadets, and the Underground trio, who looked mildly amused. "Either you give this your all, or your ass is being hauled back to HQ and you'll be placed in the fields, do I make myself clear?!"

"Yes, Team Leader!" The cadets answered, giving her the salute. She raised an eyebrow as she noticed Levi did not respond.

"Ackerman, do I make myself clear?"

"Sure," he shrugged, his expression changing form amused to, once again, bored. Isabel and Furlan giggled. 

"For someone that hasn't had the appropriate training on ODM gear, and can't even appear to hold the blades properly-" she pointedly glanced at he way he was holding said blades, one correctly and one completely the opposite "-you sure seem cocky."

"All I have to do is slice the Titan's neck, right? So as along as I do that, why does it matter how I hold the blades?"

"Point taken. Have at it, Ackerman." She gestured to the trees behind them. "Take down all the targets in five minutes. Your time begins now." She said, pressing the button on her stopwatch. Levi nodded, immediately taking off into the trees. Rayne turned to another member of her squad, Mia. "Follow him and report back to me."

Mia nodded, and within seconds she was also gone. Rayne looked at the rest of the cadets, including Isabel and Furlan, who were all looking a little nervous. 

"First lesson; correct holding of the blades!"

~

"Mia said you're really cracking down on the newbies recently," Hanji said quietly to Rayne as they observed their two squads training hand to hand combat together. "Especially on Ackerman. Something you wanna tell me?"

Rayne scoffed, pushing her hair away from her eyes.

"No, I just don't see why Erwin thinks he's so fucking special." She huffed, glancing over at said man, who had managed to floor yet another cadet. Hanji stifled a giggle. "What?" Rayne snapped, glaring at her friend.

"Nothing," she replied, a smirk on her face. Rayne scowled. "Oh come on, you have to admit, he's got some crazy skills, he's gonna make a good soldier."

Rayne said nothing, choosing to ignore her friend and watch carefully as Levi fought with Furlan. He effortlessly dodged any attacks that were thrown at him, before taking Furlan down so quickly, the poor kid had barely any time to blink. "Honestly, I never thought I'd see anyone as good at hand to hand as you, Rayne. You might have a worthy opponent there."

"Hmph. Ackerman!" Rayne yelled, causing the cadets to stop and glance in her direction. "Up front, you're training with me."

Levi looked mildly amused as he made his way to the front, the younger cadets' eyes practically popping out of their skulls. "Everyone, back to work. Team Leader Hanji will be coming around to give you pointers." Rayne looked at said Team Leader, who gave her a knowing smirk before walking off.

"Alright my babies! Show me what you've got!"

Rayne rolled her eyes, tightening her ponytail as Levi approached her.

"Fighting stance, Ackerman." She snapped, and he hesitated. "Ackerman, I gave you an order."

"Sorry, Team Leader, but I don't feel comfortable hitting a woman."

"That's all well and good in your personal life, Ackerman, but are you really going to hesitate knocking down a Titan just because it resembles a female? Or what if one of your fellow cadets threatened your life, and they just happened to be a woman? Cut the shit, and fight."

"If you insist, but I won't go easy on you," he smirked, raising his fists to mirror her.

"If you did, I'd be sending you to the lock up for blatant sexism and disrespect."

Levi huffed, an amused smirk on his face. Isabel and Furlan pushed to the front of the gathered crowd of cadets and supervising officers. 

"Come on, Rayne! Kick his ass!" 

Rayne ignored Hanji's yells. She was supposed to be leading the cadets, but that plan seemed to go out the window. 

She feigned a step forward, quickly managing to deliver a punch to Levi's stomach. However, he saw through her distraction and managed to block it. 

She quickly returned to her base stance, and the two circled around each other. Fists and kicks were thrown, but neither managed to make contact with the other; it was as if they could almost predict what the other was going to do. This was one of Rayne’s skills as a soldier, and what made her rise up through the ranks quickly from graduating. She was able to think at least a few steps ahead, and was always quick on her feet. 

Levi lunged forward, and Rayne dodged out of the way, making the raven haired man stumble a little. Taking advantage of that, Rayne saw an opportunity to take him down, delivering a swift kick to his leg, causing him to fall to the ground face first. She held his arms to his back as she pinned him down to the ground. He didn't struggle. 

A wave of silence swept over the gathered cadets. Nobody could believe that Rayne had actually managed to take Levi down. Isabel and Furlan looked both shocked and impressed. They had never seen Levi defeated in hand to hand combat before. After all, he was trained by-

"Erwin!" Hanji shrieked suddenly, and Rayne’s head turned to see her brother emerging between the cadets. He raised an eyebrow at the scene in front of him. Rayne was practically sat on Levi, his arms still twisted behind his back. 

"Shouldn't you all be practising combat?" he asked the crowd, who quickly dispersed. "Team Leader Smith, a word if you please?" 

"Yes, Squad Leader." she said, quickly getting up and dusting herself off. Isabel and Furlan rushed over to check on Levi. 

"Hanji, supervise!" Erwin ordered and Hanji nodded, giving Rayne a sly thumbs up behind his back. Rayne rolled her eyes before turning her attention to Erwin. 

"What exactly was that?" Erwin asked, as the two of them approached HQ. 

"Combat training." Rayne shrugged and Erwin sighed. "What?!" 

"Rayne, I know you don't agree with my choice to bring the three of them into the Survey Corps. But I wouldn't have done that unless I saw some potential in them. Don't you trust me?" 

"It's not you I don't trust... It's them," Rayne said quietly as she glanced back at the trio and was met by Levi glaring back. "Erwin, something doesn't feel right about this. Section Commander Flagon was right, bringing thugs into the ranks is messing with the morale around here. Commander Shadis-" 

"Actually, that's what I needed to talk to you about," Erwin cut his younger sister off. "Commander Shadis has named me as his successor. He wants me to become Commander of the Survey Corps."

Rayne stared at her brother. "And when this is official, I'll be naming you, Hanji and Mike as Sqaud Leaders."

"Erwin, I...," Rayne struggled to get her words out. "Thank you." she settled on, giving her brother a small smile. Erwin nodded, stoic as usual. 

"Just trust me, Rayne. I know exactly what I'm doing with Levi."


	4. Chapter Four - Surfacing Feelings

_Still four years earlier_

Later that evening, Rayne was doing her usual patrolling of the hallways of HQ. Because it was a Friday night, with no excursions planned as of yet , the cadets weren't under such strict orders to get to bed early tonight. But that didn't mean things could get crazy, that's what Rayne was there for, to prevent that. 

Most of the cadets were either spending time in their bunks, the library rooms or enjoying the warm summer evening outside. The hour was late though, so most of them had already retired and gone to bed. 

Rayne entered into the mess hall to check no cadets had found the stash of alcohol and gotten any ideas, like in previous years, and she almost jumped out of her skin when her eyes scanned the seemingly empty hall, and landed on the candlelit silhouette of Levi sat on the table the furthest away. 

He was hunched over, his back to Rayne. She frowned, walking over to him. 

"Ackerman, shouldnt you and your pals be off chasing trouble in town somewhere?" she said with a smirk, and he turned to glare at her, before turning back to whatever he had in his lap. She approached him. "Hey, Ackerman, come on, I have to lock up--what are you doing?" 

She glanced down into his lap, where he was holding his cravat, with a needle and thread. There was a small rip on the seam of the fabric which he was trying, and failing, to repair. "Uh, do you want some help with that?" 

"No." He grumbled, standing up. "I can fix it." 

"Are you sure? Cos you're kind of butchering it, if you ask me." Rayne gave him a kind smile. "Look, I know we haven't exactly seen eye to eye, Ackerman, but that thing is obviously important to you, I never see you without it. And to be honest, I'll dislike you even more with the mood you'll be in after you ruin it if you carry on. So, I can help."

He seemed to think it over for a second. She reached out her hand for it and he almost seemed to pull the cravat back, terrified that she'd steal it. 

Then he looked her in the eye. It was the first time they'd locked eyes with each other without some sort of distain or anger and Levi...Levi didn't want to look away. He was captivated by the color of her eyes; such an intense shade of blue that he'd never noticed before. 

He handed over the cravat. She smiled and took it from him and their fingers brushed each other. As cheesy as it sounded, her touch gave him goosebumps. He sat back down again opposite her as she rethreaded the needle and began to work. She leant over the table, trying to get close to the candle light, and Levi caught himself staring at her. 

"Y'know, as much of a hard time as I give you...you're actually incredibly talented," Rayne spoke softly, and Levi was hypnotised by the way her eyes sparkled in the candlelight. "I guess I can see why Erwin picked you and your buddies up." 

"Have you been drinking?" Levi snarked, immediately cursing himself as he did so. What a stupid thing to fucking say, dumb ass...

Rayne laughed, the sound echoing off the exposed stone walls and floors. 

"I wish. Then maybe I wouldn't be spending my precious Friday night sewing up some street rat's clothes." 

Levi let out a dry laugh. 

"What, like you have other shit to do around here?" 

"More shit than you do," Rayne smirked, pulling the thread through a final time and cutting it off with her pocket knife. "Don't you know I have to babysit you Cadets and make sure you can wipe your asses unassisted, Ackerman?" 

He took back the cravat with the smallest smile on his lips, tying it back into his collar. 

"Thanks," he muttered. Rayne nodded. 

"Just don't go telling people I sew, otherwise I won't get a moment's peace. Think of this as...an apology for being such a bitch to you."

Levi raised an eyebrow at her, that all too familiar unimpressed look on his face was replaced with something...softer.

"Levi-bro, there you are!" 

Both Levi and Rayne jumped at the sudden intrusion into their moment, as Isabel and Furlan practically burst through the mess hall doors. 

"Tch, shut up, idiot," Levi grumbled as Isabel babbled on about being worried about him because they couldn't find him ANYWHERE. 

Furlan glanced between Rayne and Levi. "What's going on?" 

"Nothing. I was just apologising to Ackerman for planting him on his face earlier." Rayne smirked. "And now I've done so, you three need to be getting to bed. Come on, Magnolia, I'll escort you back to the girls dorm. Church, Ackerman, close the doors behind you."

Isabel sent a weird look towards Furlan and Levi as they both walked out of the opposite side of the room towards the guys' dormitories, but she walked alongside Rayne quietly. 

Before leaving Isabel at the door of the female cadets room, Rayne paused. 

"Isabel, what's the deal with Levi and that cravat he wears?" 

Isabel looked surprised at the use of first names, as well as the genuine curiosity in Rayne's voice. She hesitated before answering. 

"Well, I uh, I don't really know. I think his mom gave it to him or something when he was a kid. He never lets anyone near it, its kinda special to him. He doesn't really talk about it. How come?" 

Rayne didn't respond until she noticed Isabel giving her a really weird look. 

"Uh, just wondering. Guess I thought it was some kind of fashion trend in the Underground or something. Night." she gabbled, before hurying away to her quarters. Isabel watched the team leader scuttle away with furrowed brows, before slinking into the dorms. 

On the other side of HQ, Levi and Furlan had decided to ignore their superior's orders, and had made their way up to the roof to their usual nighttime spot, far away from the Cadet dorms. 

"Y'know, I never thought about it before, but, your idea is perfect, Levi." Furlan spoke as he gazed up at the moon, the soft white light bathing his face. 

"Hm?" 

"Getting close to the Commander's sister. Infiltrating from the inside. I like it." 

"Tch, what are you talking about?" Levi looked almost disgusted as he turned towards Furlan. Furlan laughed. 

"Oh come on, Levi. It's genius! You get all close and personal with her, and we get a chance to get closer to Erwin. We can take him out and get those documents back to Lovof. And if Rayne decides to get in the way we take her out too." He shrugged. 

"Rayne wasn't part of the orders," Levi sniffed, looking away from his friend. His fingers absent mindedly touched his cravat. "We kill Erwin on the upcoming expedition like we discussed. We get the documents, then we disappear. That's it." 

Furlan held his hands up, smirking. 

"Alright, alright, lover boy, we won't touch your precious Rayne." 

Levi rolled his eyes, before standing up and beginning to climb down the roof. The two of them returned to their dorms, eventually settling in for the night. 

As the rest of the cadets slept soundly around him, Levi stayed awake, staring at the ceiling, waiting for morning to come. He never was one to sleep much, simply becuase of his past in the underground. But tonight, instead of staying awake for his own safety, he was staying awake because every time he closed his eyes, he'd see the same pair of blue eyes illuminated by candle light, the dirty blonde hair that fell over a beautiful face that was looking back at him. 

And smiling. 

Why did she have to fucking smile at him?! It didn't matter. Two more weeks and she wouldn't be smiling at him anymore. 

But in the back of his mind, Levi couldn't shake the voice that begged him to let her smile at him for the rest of his damn life. 

~

They had been looking at each other more since that night. 

Glances during training, catching each others eyes over meals, accidental prolonged looks when one thought the other wasn't paying attention-

"Rayne? Rayne, are you even listening to me?!" 

"Huh?" Rayne turned her face away from the window. The meeting about the upcoming expedition was incredibly dull, and Rayne could feel herself getting drowsy, so she decided to stand by the window to wake up a little. She didn't intend to lock eyes with Levi as he crossed the courtyard down below. He fiddled with his cravat before catching up with Isabel and Furlan who were ahead of him. 

When Rayne turned away, she was met by every single person in the room looking at her. Erwin looked mildly pissed off. He and the other squad leaders had been briefing their team leaders on the details for the upcoming 23rd expedition beyond the walls, and Rayne had missed the majority of it. 

On the other side of the room, Hange hid a smirk. She knew exactly what had her best friend so distracted. 

Erwin sighed. "Rayne, this is vital information and I need you to pay attention." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll excuse the rest of you who were actually listening to me."

A few murmurs and shuffling of chairs echoed in the room, before the door closed behind everyone, leaving Erwin and Rayne in silence. 

"Rayne, that daydreaming of yours-" 

"-both infuriates and intrigues you?" Rayne rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I didn't realise I was speaking to Dad right now. You really need to stop channeling our father, Erwin."

Erwin frowned. "He was right though. Rayne, what's got you so distracted?" 

"Nothing. Erwin, I'm not really one for meetings, you know that." she shrugged. Even though it was a blatant lie, she somehow managed to pull it off. Erwin sighed. 

"Well, unfortunately I'm not giving you special treatment. This mission is somewhat important, I need your full attention."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it, dad. Next you'll be telling me I need to settle down and find me a husband instead of chasing that brother of mine into battle."

Rayne rolled her eyes and pulled out a chair; Erwin was so much like their father, it hurt. Although their father had died when the siblings were relatively young, her father's words had stuck with her. Rayne had known she wanted to be a scout since she was old enough to understand what they did, but her father had hated the idea. Erwin, on the other hand, was encouraged to follow his dreams, and his mind. 

Erwin let out a huff of laughter and the pair smiled fondly at the memory of their father, before getting down to business, this time with Rayne’s full attention.


End file.
